All Roads to Kerala

This is a discussion on All Roads to Kerala within Route / Travel Queries, part of the Travelogues category; Originally Posted by vibbs
While returning, I need to go to Kozhikode. Now from Kozhikode, I have option to either ...

While returning, I need to go to Kozhikode. Now from Kozhikode, I have option to either go to Mangalore or Bangalore. How much time would Kozhikode-Bangalore and Kozhikode-Mangalore take. Also If I leave Kozhikode around 2 will I be able to cross Bandipur before it is closed after sunset?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NPV

Kozhikode-Bangalore should take about 8 hrs.
For Kozhikode-Mangalore, the coastal route is not good on many stretches and will slow you down considerably. I'm not sure what would be the ideal alternate route. Maybe Kozhikode-Kasargod-Sullia-Mangalore ? @ampere should be able to clarify this

None of the above! Kozhikode-Mysore-Srirangapatna-Neligere-Huliyar-Hiriyur-Pune

I would say, start late afternoon from Calicut and halt at Mysore for the day. Drive to Pune the next day. 2PM is a good start to take you to Mysore for a break. No point driving to Bangalore.

how much time would Kozhikode-Bangalore and Kozhikode-Mangalore take. Also If I leave Kozhikode around 2 will I be able to cross Bandipur before it is closed after sunset?

Budget 7-8 hours of driving time between Kozhikode and Bangalore. With a 2pm start you should cross the border by ~ 6pm. There is a Mad rush after 7.30-8. So do not delay post 2pm to be comfortable. This is for kalpetta bathery gundlepet Mysore Bangalore route. Expect heavy traffic between calicut and bathery.

Also note that there are 2-3 routes to Bangalore. Couple of routes are through the nagerhole santuary and one of these closes at 6pm ( manathavady kutta nagarhole hunsur Mysore Bangalore) . Not very sure of the other one ( manathavady bavalli handpost Mysore).

Would suggest to stick to the first one.

Kozhikode- Mangalore I assume would take 6-7 hours during peak times. Expect very very heavy traffic.

Edit: Just saw ampere's post. Just to Mysore from calicut will take 5-5.5 hours driving time.

Back in action (?) after celebrating Onam at home. Returned via Kuttiadi ghat-Meenanangadi-Sulthan Bathery-Chamrajnagar route. Notes (and questions):-
1. The ghat road from Kuttiadi towards Niravilpuzha is in excellent condition. The heavy rains etc. in Kerala, has no effect on this road . From Niravilpuzha right upto the point at Meenanangadi, where the road joins the national highway the roads are pathetic. For the past five odd years, I have been travelling on this road and not even once I have seen this road in a decent shape. I don't know what is wrong here? Lazy people, who elect an even lazier local politician who just ignores these poor roads? Or some shortage of funds, and no one highlighting the same?
2. From Meenanangadi it is good roads all the way to the end of the forest in KA. From there on, the roads are good but some road construction going on. But that should not kind of slow down the vehicle very badly. Roads were also good between Gundlupet and Chamrajnagar. I also noticed very less traffic on this stretch yesterday. Was expecting more traffic, as many Malayalis would be returning after Onam.

How was the traffic situation on Mysore-Bangalore highway yesterday evening? We had avoided the Bavali-Handpost-Mysore route, mainly expecting some huge traffic pile ups on the highway.

I am planning a trip to Bangalore next weekend from Calicut. My last drive to Bangalore was in 2012. I used to take Calicut-Thamaraserry-Kalpetta-Bathery-Gundulpet-Mysore- Bangalore route. Recently i heard about some other routes by passing mysore. Please suggest me the best route available. We are planning to start by 1PM from Calicut.

I used to take Calicut-Thamaraserry-Kalpetta-Bathery-Gundulpet-Mysore- Bangalore route.

Did part of this stretch yesterday. We joined the Kalpetta-Bathery route at Meenangadi. The road was in excellent condition all the way till the KA state border beyond the forest. From then on roads were good 99% of the way till Gundlupet. In the 1%, there were some minor unpaved roads, due to road widening. But that would not make any impact on the journey time or comfort.

From Gundlupet to Mysore via Nanjangud, my understanding is that there are road widening work happening, and road surface is not that great. I have not used that route for ages, so don't know the latest status. I took the Gundlupet-Chamrajnagar-Kollegal-Malavalli-Kanakapura route. Roads were good all the way till Bangalore. Speeds would get reduced at major towns, and at few villages where the roads are narrow and the front varendahs of the houses, just pop right onto the roads. We do this route to avoid heavy traffic at Mysore city and in the Mysore Bangalore state highway.

I am planning a trip to Bangalore next weekend from Calicut. My last drive to Bangalore was in 2012. I used to take Calicut-Thamaraserry-Kalpetta-Bathery-Gundulpet-Mysore- Bangalore route. Recently i heard about some other routes by passing mysore. Please suggest me the best route available. We are planning to start by 1PM from Calicut.

There are 3 main routes. One that you mentioned. Still the standard route. The other ones are

Overall if you are traveling on a weekday, with a 1 pm start time, I would recommend the manathavady route. If it is a Saturday or sunday, would recommend the chamrajnagar route provided you are ok with the lack of family friendly stopping places on the route.

Roads are good, only rough patch is between Coimbatore and Walayar. Drive from Walayar to vadakkencherry is a bliss, though a regular in the route could not recognize some of the places due to the fourlaning and fly overs. Did Vadakkencherry to Walayar stretch in less than an hour, which used to be a 2.5 hrs affair before.

Roads till Coimbatore bypass are absolutely excellent, plenty of rest stops along the way, 6 lanes till Dharmapuri, 4 lanes after that till Erode, after which stunning 6 lanes all the way till the Coimbatore bypass.

After that, all smooth sailing disappears as you enter Walayar. Roads are terribly messed up. Diversions everywhere.Some time later, a 4 lane highway appears till Palakkad. After that, the experience becomes utterly miserable.The road from palakkad to thrissur, through vaddakencherry is absolutely terrible.Suspension breaking potholes the size of craters, mad manic bus drivers jumping into your lane, absolute chaos, all the way into Thrissur.

I was utterly disappointed that people actually suggested this route.So for the return journey, I decided to look at an alternate route that will not take us through this torture.And, I found one! Very simple, really. Drive from Thrissur to Shoranur, then turn right and drive to Palakkad.The road is butter smooth, a patch or two of slightly rough tarmac, but most importantly, no potholes!

This route is 81 Kms, 13 more than the route through vaddakencherry, but it is absolutely awesome to drive on. 0 potholes. We covered this entire stretch in 1.5 hours.

On the way back, we didn't take the route through Dharmapuri/Krishnagiri. We took the Ulundurpet route, as suggested by many folks on this thread. The road condition is good, even though the stretch from Salem to Ulundurpet does alternate between 2/4 lanes. That makes driving more stressful. Not just that, there are small towns all along the way, so every now & then a mad local would jump into our way and we would have to swerve to avoid them. Not the best route, if you're looking for peace of mind driving.

After Ulundurpet, the GST road is decent, though not even half as good as the Dharmapuri/Krishnagiri route. Lots of slow moving buses & trucks loaded with people & goods on that road, and it is only 4 lanes. The only saving grace? The route is 30-35 Kms shorter than the route through Dharmapuri/Krishnagiri. So, if you've got shorter travel time on your mind, look at this route. Else, nothing beats the awesome roads through NH 46.

Hope this account helps someone who is looking to travel to Kerala in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

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Hey Rajeev!

We started at 4 AM, and reached Thrissur at 3 PM Thanks for your suggestions. They helped a lot!

I am traveling from Chennai to Kottayam via Kumili by last week of September. Have couple of queries

1. Plan to take an overnight stay at Dindigul . So can someone suggest a descent accommodation there ? Price range I am looking at is 1000 to 2000
2. What is the road condition between Dindigul to Kumili ?